New light frame residential buildings would need added fire protections

New residential buildings using light frame construction must meet added fire safety rules. This covers new hotels, multiple dwellings, boarding houses, and rooming houses with more than two dwelling or sleeping units that use light frame construction. The rules apply only when the building has more than two dwelling or sleeping units. The rules apply to covered construction that starts after enactment.

Owners and developers must provide fire monitoring during non-working hours while covered buildings are framed. This applies to all construction using light frame construction. They must hire, train, and pay eligible fire watch wardens, or use technology that provides comparable monitoring and alerts. A warden must be present from framing until the final sprinkler inspection or a temporary certificate of occupancy. Monitoring starts when framing begins and continues until the final sprinkler inspection is complete or a temporary certificate of occupancy is issued.

The state must require placards that identify each building's primary structural system. The placard rules cover structures with a primary structural system that must be identified under the commissioner’s regulations. Placards must be placed by the fire alarm control panel and on an exterior wall within 10 feet of the main entrance. If the system is not on the listed menu, the enforcing agency must approve its description.